What does fat taste like?

Article in Slate:

http://slate.msn.com/id/2124367/

Best,
Michael

I have a hard time believing that there aren't any fat-discriminating sensors in the mouth. Stuff such as butterfat, cocoa butter, lamb fat, pork fat, gänseschmalz... they're just so goooooood, that your mouth just appreciates them in ways that are beyond the 'impurities' that are quoted in the article.

Anthropologically, finding good fat was critical to survival in early man. There's a good chance there are sensors there. It could be nasal, though.

JoelF wrote:I have a hard time believing that there aren't any fat-discriminating sensors in the mouth. Stuff such as butterfat, cocoa butter, lamb fat, pork fat, gänseschmalz... they're just so goooooood, that your mouth just appreciates them in ways that are beyond the 'impurities' that are quoted in the article.

Anthropologically, finding good fat was critical to survival in early man. There's a good chance there are sensors there. It could be nasal, though.

I agree, it's probably olfactory (although I don't think of the compounds you smell as "impurities" - lots of interesting stuff dissolves in fat). I remembered when I worked on Simplesse, ostensibly the first fake fat, the thinking was that pure fat contributed mouthfeel and texture, but no inherent flavor. That was the principle behind Simplesse - microparticulate egg or whey proteins to a point somewhat below the mouth's ability to distinguish discrete particles, and it feels viscous or oily like fat. But since the proteins still contained only 4 cal./gram, vs. the 9 for fats, there was a significant calorie savings. And they had a whole host of overpaid PhD's of many different stripes to support their rationale. [The product failed 1) because it couldn't be heated without causing the proteins to clump, defeating the purpose of the microparticulation, and 2) the amazingly arrogant management style ofwhat was then The NutraSweet Company. But don't quote me on point 2.]

JoelF wrote:I have a hard time believing that there aren't any fat-discriminating sensors in the mouth. Stuff such as butterfat, cocoa butter, lamb fat, pork fat, gänseschmalz... they're just so goooooood, that your mouth just appreciates them in ways that are beyond the 'impurities' that are quoted in the article.

I could believe it.

The article stated that pure fat has no detectable flavor. Does canola oil taste like anything to you? Doesn't taste like anything to me.

Butterfat, schmalz, pork fat--those are all different. Those are not pure fats and all have a distinctive flavor. I could tell you this pretty authorively, as I used to feast on thick cuts of European bread spread with lard and sprikled with salt. The taste of this would be quite distinct from something like, say, Crisco.

However, besides the aforementioned mouthfeel, which fat contributes to, there is another very important role for fat in dishes. Many spices are not water-soluble, and do not release their flavors well in water-based dishes, but rather in fat. A typical example of this is paprika. Paprika, on its own, sprinkled after-the-fact on a soup or stew does very little to the taste. All it seems to do is add attractive flecks of red to the dish. As every Hungarian cook would tell you, paprika must be added early on in cooking and dissolved in oil in order for the flavor to spread and permeate the dish.

I find that most spices benefit from this treatment--both Thai and Indian curries, for example, need to be mixed in and dissolved with the fat before adding all your watery ingredients. The fat transports the flavor of the spices.

Binko wrote:However, besides the aforementioned mouthfeel, which fat contributes to, there is another very important role for fat in dishes. Many spices are not water-soluble, and do not release their flavors well in water-based dishes, but rather in fat.

Oh, definitely. I had the pleasure of sharing a ride with a Nutrasweet scientist 15 years ago talking about fat free ice cream: It doesn't taste good, you need at least a little fat to transport the flavors of cocoa and vanilla.

Alchohol can work in some cases: Many things will dissolve there that would otherwise take an oil. Hence the vodka in tomato cream sauces, and near-ubiquitous use of wine in sauces. Vinegars should have some of the same properties.

And canola oil? It has a fishy odor when heated, IMO.